''Pteridium aquilinum'' , also known as "eagle fern," is a species of fern occurring in temperate and subtropical regions in both hemispheres. The extreme lightness of its spores has led to its global distribution.

Common bracken was first described as ''Pteris aquilina'' by the father of taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus, in Volume 2 of his ''Species Plantarum'' in 1753. The origin of the specific epithet derived from the Latin ''aquila'' "eagle", but what it pertains to has been a matter of some.. more